System and method for tracking luggage

ABSTRACT

A system for tracking an object including a tracking station in communication with a network. The system includes a first tag coupled to the object, the first tag comprising a first tag identifier and a first GPS transmitter. The first GPS transmitter is effective to communicate the location of the first tag to the tracking station over the network. The system also includes a second tag comprising a second tag identifier and a second GPS transmitter effective to communicate the location of the second tag to the tracking station over the network. The system also includes a database in communication with the tracking station, the database is effective to associate the first tag identifier with the second tag identifier. A user may access the database through the network and ascertain the location of his luggage.

This patent application claims the priority of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/954,462, filed Aug. 7, 2007, entitled “Systemand Method for Tracking Luggage,” the entirety of which is incorporatedby reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to a system and method for tracking anobject. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and methodof tracking luggage using global positioning system tags and a trackingstation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Misplaced luggage is a growing problem in the travel industry. Theincreasing volume of air traffic and the increasing congestion inairports contribute to flight delays and misplaced luggage. Althoughadhesive paper tags bearing the intended destination of a passenger'sluggage have been used for decades, luggage is often misplaced andmishandled. Air travelers worry whether their luggage will arrive attheir intended destination and often have to extend their time atbaggage carousels while waiting for luggage that may not arrive. This isa particularly pressing problem for business travelers whose luggage maycontain time sensitive materials.

In addition, even with increased security measures at airports, therestill exists a chance that an item of luggage may end up in an aircraftwhich is not transporting the corresponding passenger. Alternatively, apassenger may enter an aircraft and his or her luggage may not be inthat aircraft. If luggage is misplaced, the luggage may end up at adifferent location than the passenger's intended destination resultingin unsatisfied passengers and increased costs for the airline to deliverthe luggage to its correct destination.

Traditional luggage identification systems suffer from deficienciesinherent in their structure. Printed paper tags attached by adhesivesduring check-in require inspection by security personnel, which is bothtime-consuming and prone to human error. Bar codes and other forms ofoptical identification used by airports are also prone to error. Eachitem of luggage must be individually scanned and such scanning does notguarantee that the luggage will be placed on the correct aircraft.Further, these paper tags are flimsy and may fall off or be torn offresulting in misrouted luggage.

Several systems have been implemented to remedy the problem of lost ormisplaced bags. U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,692 describes a system for trackingluggage where a beeper device is attached to an article of luggage. Ifluggage is misplaced, a user calls a number associated with the beeper.The call causes the beeper to emit a sound alerting airline personnel inthe immediate vicinity to the presence of the misplaced luggage. Airlinepersonnel may subsequently contact the user and provide the user withthe location of the misplaced luggage. This system, however, requiresairline personnel to be vigilant in locating the misplaced baggage.Moreover, if no personnel are in the vicinity of the luggage, theluggage cannot be rerouted to its intended destination.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,452 describes a baggage identification systemwherein a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) label is placed in aluggage identification tag. The labels are detected by receiver stationslocated throughout an airport terminal. However, due to the limitedrange of RFID signals, multiple receiver stations are necessitated andmust be placed throughout the terminal, which is neither cost-efficientor space-efficient. Further, the luggage may not be monitored when thetag is not in proximity to the tracking stations.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,199,712, describes an RFID system that can be used toidentify the position of a passenger or their luggage in an aircraft. Inthis system, an RFID tag is placed on a passenger's ticket and RFIDlabels are attached to the passenger's luggage. A network of RFIDreaders is positioned inside the cabin of an aircraft and can be used todetermine the location of luggage and the passenger. The system islimited inasmuch as the readers must be relatively close to thecorresponding tag for the system to work.

Current systems are not designed to track luggage over long ranges. Thelimitations of the systems which employ RFID or visual identificationlimit the efficacy of luggage tracking and fail to ensure that luggageis loaded onto the same aircraft as a corresponding passenger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention is drawn to a system for tracking anobject including a tracking station in communication with a network. Thesystem includes a first tag coupled to the object, the first tagcomprising a first tag identifier and a first GPS transmitter. The firstGPS transmitter effective to communicate the location of the first tagto the tracking station over the network. The system also includes asecond tag comprising a second tag identifier and a second GPStransmitter, which is effective to communicate the location of thesecond tag to the tracking station over the network. The system alsoincludes a database in communication with the tracking station, thedatabase effective to associate the first tag identifier with the secondtag identifier.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method of tracking an objectcomprising the steps of assigning the object a first tag comprising afirst tag identifier and a first GPS transmitter, assigning a passengera second tag comprising a second tag identifier and a second GPStransmitter, and associating the first tag identifier and the second tagidentifier in a database.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating a system for tracking luggage inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 a is a perspective view of an item of luggage in accordance withan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 b is a top view of an item of luggage in accordance with anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for tracking an objectin accordance with embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Various embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter withreference to the figures. Elements of like structures or function arerepresented with like reference numerals throughout the figures. Thefigures are only intended to facilitate the description of the inventionor as a limitation on the scope of the invention. In addition, an aspectdescribed in conjunction with a particular embodiment of the inventionis not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced inconjunction with any other embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 20 for tracking an object 26. Object 26belongs to a passenger 30. Both passenger 30 and object 26 may travelfrom a first location 22 to a second location 52. At first location 22,which may be in an airport terminal, a train station, a bus terminal,etc., a first tag 24 is coupled to object 26. Second location 52 may bea destination airport terminal, train station, bus terminal, etc., wherepassenger 30 arrives at the conclusion of his or her flight. In advanceof a flight, first tag 24 may be mailed to passenger 30, or purchased atlocation 22 who may couple first tag 24 to object 26 prior to arrival atfirst location 22 or at location 22. First tag 24 may be coupled toobject 26 by means including locking, fixing, insertion into an interiorcompartment, etc. Object 26 may be luggage, such as, for example,suitcases, bags, boxes or any other article that passengers use totransport items. Object 26 may include a single item of luggage ormultiple items of luggage with possibly multiple tags.

First tag 24 includes a first Global Positioning System (“GPS”)transmitter 46 effective to communicate information regarding thelocation of first tag 24 to a plurality of GPS satellites 50. GPSSatellites 50 may include 24 medium earth orbit satellites arranged in aconstellation and which transmit signals. GPS satellites 50 collectinformation from GPS transmitter 46 regarding the location, speed, anddirection of first tag 24 at a given time and transmit the informationthrough a network 36, such as the Internet, to a tracking station 38.

First tag 24 may include a wireless Assisted GPS (AGPS) device. If firsttag 24 is out of range of GPS satellites 50, information regarding thelocation of first tag 24 may be transmitted from the AGPS device througha network 37, such as a cellular network, to network 36 and then totracking station 38. The AGPS device can also send supplemental trackinginformation to GPS satellites 50 relating to first tag 24.

First tag 24 is preferably protected from environmental factors such asrain, snow and dust to maintain its longevity and functionality. Toaccomplish this protection, first tag 24 may be enclosed in a waterproofand shock proof casing protecting the functional components frompotentially harmful interactions with the environment and fromtampering.

First tag 24 may have a battery compartment for receiving batteries. Thebattery compartment may include a tamperproof lock to preventinadvertent deactivation. First tag 24 is configured to include a switchfor activating and deactivating the tag. The tag could be activated by asoft switch under the control of software run by, for example, computer28, and is password activated protected. First tag 24 further includes apower level indicator for indicating whether or not the tag needs a newbattery or needs to be recharged.

Referring to FIG. 2 a and FIG. 2 b, first tag 24 may be manufactured aspart of object 26 such that first tag 24 can be attached to an interioror exterior surface of object 26. Object 26 may have an exterioridentifier 27 such as a bar code or a series of numbers located on thesurface of object 26, which corresponds to first tag 24. First tag 24may, alternatively, be detachably mounted to object 26. The size andlocation of external identifier 27 may vary according to manufacturingstandards.

Referring again to FIG. 1, at first location 22, a second tag 32 isgiven to passenger 30. Second tag 32 may be coupled to a passenger'sticket or alternatively, second tag 32 may be a separate device such as,for example, a handheld computer, PDA or cell phone. Second tag 32includes a GPS transmitter 48 having a substantially similar function toGPS transmitter 46 described above. Passenger 30 is required to be inpossession of second tag 32 in order to get past security and board anaircraft. Upon collection of object 26 at second location 52, passenger30 returns second tag 32 to airline personnel so that second tag 32 maybe reused at a later time.

Unique identification codes associated with first tag 24 and second tag32 respectively are entered into a processing computer 28 at firstlocation 22. The unique identification codes include informationrelating to GPS transmitters 46 and 48 included in each of first tag 24and second tag 32. The unique identification codes are forwarded fromprocessing computer 28 through a network 36 to tracking station 38.First tag 24 and second tag 32 may also be scanned at first location 22.The scanning may be performed concurrently with the scanning processesof systems in current use, such as, for example the optical processes ofbar-code systems.

Processing computer 28 may also assign an access code to passenger 30that passenger 30 may use to ascertain information regarding first tag24. The access code is given to passenger 30 and stored in database 34in association with the identification code of second tag 32.

At tracking station 38, the unique identification codes of first tag 24and second tag 32 are associated with one another in database 34.Additional information relating to passenger 30 may be stored indatabase 34 including, for example, the passenger's flight informationincluding departure time, arrival time and duration of flight, as wellas personal information about passenger 30 such as the passenger's name,address, and contact information.

At tracking station 38, the movement of object 26 is monitored as ittravels from first location 22 to second location 52. First tag 24 andsecond tag 32 intermittently transmit tracking information to GPSSatellites 50, which then transmit the tracking information to trackingstation 38. At least one processing computer at tracking station 38periodically receives tracking information from GPS satellites 50regarding the location of first tag 24 and second tag 32. The processingcomputer subsequently updates database 34 regarding the location of theobject 26 and the passenger 30. For example, tracking informationrelating to a specific location of first tag 24 and second tag 32 at aspecific time may be uploaded by the processing computer at trackingstation 38 and organized into database 34.

If object 26 is steered towards an incorrect aircraft, an operator attracking station 38 contacts airport personnel at the first location andalerts them to the misdirected luggage. For example, if, shortly beforethe departure of a flight, first tag 24 and second tag 32 are notdetected within close proximity to each other, an operator at trackingstation 38 can contact airline personnel at first location 22 and toinform them that first tag 24 may have been diverted to an incorrectaircraft. Object 26 may then be retrieved and immediately relocated tothe correct aircraft. The operator at tracking station 38 can furtherlocate passenger 30 to ascertain whether or not passenger 30 is on thecorrect aircraft. At a point at first location 22 or at another locationbetween first location 22 and second location 52, such as, for example,an intervening airport where passenger 30 changes aircrafts, trackingstation 38 determines the location of first tag 24 and second tag 32.

Tracking station 38 and database 34 may be accessed through network 36by a remote communication device 39, which may include a mobile phone40, personal computer 42, personal digital assistant (PDA) 44, or anyother device for accessing information. There are numerous techniquesavailable to direct data to a tracking station 38 and to communicationdevice 39. For example, address headers within data packets can containthe address of specified tracking stations. Network standards includeTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), InternetProtocol (IP), Simple network Management Protocol (SNMP), InternetworkPacket eXchange (IPX), and various other communication protocols, any ofwhich may be used.

After tracking station 38 and database 34 have been accessed,information relating to the location of the first tag 24 and second tag32 can be viewed on communication device 39. Passenger 30 may send theabove-mentioned access code to tracking station 38. Tracking station 38verifies the access code with reference to database 34 and accessesinformation associated with the access code including the currentlocation second tag 32, first tag 24 and any other information stored inassociation with these tags. Under certain circumstances passenger 30may be denied access to data base related to tag 24 for securityreasons.

Upon retrieval of object 26 at second location 52, first tag 24, if notmanufactured into object 26, is uncoupled from object 26 and can be usedby the airline again in association with a separate tag. Second tag 32is collected from passenger 30 and can also be used again. Instructionsto disassociate first tag 24 and second tag 32 at database 34 are sentfrom a processing computer at second location 52 via network 36 totracking station 38. Tracking station 38 disassociates first tag 24 andsecond tag 32 so that the tags are no longer associated with each otherin database 34. On subsequent use, first tag 24 may be associated with adifferent tag and second tag 32 may also be associated with a differenttag. Reusing the tags can reduce operational costs to airlines andprevent unnecessary waste from entering the environment.

A system in accordance with the invention may further act as a deterrentagainst terrorism as both bags and individuals can be monitored. Forexample, if a passenger does not board a plane where his correspondingluggage has been loaded onto, an alarm can go off and the passenger canbe located through the GPS tag in his ticket. Airline personnel wouldalso be able to remove suspicious luggage that has been loaded onto anincorrect flight. As noted above, if first tag 24 and second tag 32 arenot in close proximity to each other shortly before departure of anaircraft, the tracking station can inform airline personnel at firstlocation 22 that either passenger 30 is not on the correct aircraft oralternatively, that object 26 is not on the correct aircraft. Undercertain circumstances passenger 30 may be denied access to data baserelated to tag 24 for security reasons.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a process 100 for tracking anobject. At a first location, a first tag is coupled to an object and asecond tag is coupled to a boarding pass of a passenger as noted atsteps 102 and 104. Unique identification codes associated with first tagand second tag are transmitted by a processing computer over a networkto a tracking station. At the tracking station, the uniqueidentification codes of the first tag and second tag are associated witheach other and are also associated with additional passenger informationin a database as seen in step 106. GPS satellites monitor the movementof the first tag and the second tag as they travel from a first locationto a second location as seen in step 108. The tags intermittentlytransfer the information regarding the longitude and latitudecoordinates of the first tag and second tag through a network to atracking station as seen in step 110. Alternatively, the trackingstation may request information from the satellites regarding thelocation of the first tag and the second tag. At the tracking station,the location of the tags is monitored to ensure that there are noanomalies such as an object being placed on an incorrect aircraft. Forexample, the distance between a first tag and a second tag are monitoredshortly prior to the departure time of an aircraft. If the first tag andthe second tag are not in close proximity, the tracking station cangenerate a signal alerting contact airline personnel.

As described in step 112, the information regarding the location of thefirst tag and the second tag are updated intermittently in the database.As the tracking station receives information regarding the location ofthe first tag and the second tag from the GPS satellites the database isupdated with the current information. In step 116, a user, using acommunication device, such as a personal digital assistant, mobile phoneor personal computer, may communicate with the tracking station over anetwork such as through interaction with a website. Informationregarding the location of a first tag coupled to an object and a secondtag coupled to a ticket of a passenger may be requested by entering aunique access code onto a verification screen of the website. In step114, a tracking station verifies the access code and providesinformation associated with the code in the database such as informationrelating to the first tag and the second tag.

The invention has numerous advantages over current systems in the artwhich utilize Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The system ofthe invention allows objects to be tracked continuously over greatdistances using GPS tags. RFID tags suffer from a limited range incomparison to the GPS tags of the system. The system does not requirethe use of multiple tracking stations, and can function with minimalmanpower and a single tracking station. Further, the system of theinvention allows ready access to tracking information of both apassenger and an object during the course of a flight.

The invention can be realized in hardware, software or a combination ofhardware and software. The invention can be realized in a centralizedfashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion wheredifferent elements are spread across several interconnected computersystems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted forcarrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typicalcombination of hardware and software can be a general purpose computersystem with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed,controls the computer system such that it carries out the methodsdescribed herein.

The invention has been described with reference to an embodiment thatillustrates the principles of the invention and is not meant to limitthe scope of the invention. Modifications and alterations may occur toothers upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription. It is intended that the scope of the invention be construedas including all modifications and alterations that may occur to othersupon reading and understanding the preceding detailed descriptioninsofar as they come within the scope of the following claims orequivalents thereof. Various changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A system for tracking an object, the system comprising: a trackingstation in communication with a network; a first tag coupled to theobject, the first tag comprising a first tag identifier and a firstGlobal Positioning System (GPS) transmitter, the first GlobalPositioning System (GPS) transmitter effective to communicate a locationof the first tag to the tracking station over the network; a second tag,assigned to a passenger, comprising a second tag identifier and a secondGPS transmitter effective to communicate a location of the second tag tothe tracking station over the network; and a database in communicationwith the tracking station, the database effective to associate the firsttag identifier with the second tag identifier and to associate thelocation of the first tag with the location of the second tag.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a communication device incommunication with the tracking station, the communication device beingeffective to display information relating to the location of the firsttag and the second tag.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thecommunication device is effective to send a request to the trackingstation requesting information regarding the location of the first tag.4. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication device is one of apersonal digital assistant, a personal computer and a mobile phone. 5.The system of claim 1, wherein the second tag is coupled to apassenger's ticket.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second tag isa GPS enabled cell phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or handheldcomputer.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first GPS transmitterand the second GPS transmitter comprise Assisted Global PositioningSystem (AGPS) transmitters.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the objectis an item of luggage.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first tagis detachably mounted to the item of luggage.
 10. The system of claim 8,wherein the first tag is manufactured into the item of luggage.
 11. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a computer effective to receivethe first and second tag identifiers, the computer further effective toforward the first and second tag identifiers to the database.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the first tag includes an identifiereffective to include information relating to the first tag readable by ascanner in communication with a computer.
 13. The system according toclaim 11, wherein the computer is effective to generate an access coderelating to the second tag.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein thedatabase is effective to associate passenger information including anitinerary with data relating to the first tag and second tag.
 15. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first tag and the second travel from afirst location to a second location.
 16. A method of tracking an object,the method comprising the steps of: assigning the object a first tagcomprising a first tag identifier and a first Global Positioning System(GPS) transmitter, the first Global Positioning System (GPS) transmittereffective to communicate a location of the first tag; assigning apassenger a second tag comprising a second tag identifier and a secondGPS transmitter, the second GPS transmitter effective to communicate alocation of the second tag; and associating the first tag identifier thesecond tag identifier and associating the location of the first tag withthe location of the second tag in a database.
 17. The method of claim16, further comprising the step of: assigning a user coupled to thesecond tag an access code for access to the database.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the database includes information regarding thelocation of the first tag and second tag.
 19. The method of claim 16,further comprising the step of: receiving a request by the database overa network, from a communication device, for information regarding thelocation of the first tag; and sending the information regarding thelocation of the first tag from the database to the communication device.